Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1942. THE RAIDS ON JAPAN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 162, 22 April 1942, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1942. THE RAIDS ON JAPAN.

The raids on four of the principal cities in Japan by American aircraft apparently caused more damage than the first reports admitted. The fact that the raid has not yet been reported from an Allied source shows that the attackers came fj;om an aircraftcarrier, which naturally has not revealed her position by sending out radio messages. The peoples of the United Nations have cause for great satisfaction with the latest manifestation of air activity. One of the greatest handicaps the Allies have to overcome in the Pacific is the long distance to be travelled before air units can strike at the heart of the enemy’s war activities. The attack just made is quite different from the raid on Pearl Harbour on December 7. In the first place the enemy, through his flagrant breach of the mandate, had bases at various points comparatively close to his objective; certainly much closer than the Allies had to Japan. Further, voyages of aircraft-carriers in the Pacific present a totally different aspect as between last December and the- present time. Recently Japanese Ministers have been warning their people that attacks may be expected, but the fact that they have received warning will not soften the effect of the raids. The attack by the Americans, taken in conjunction with the continued offensive by the Royal Air Force over Germany and the occupied territories, lightens to some extent the picture presented on other fronts, but if victory is to be assured it is necessary that even greater effort be put forth for the provision of more aircraft and the recruiting and training of personnel to man them.